Second Chance
by DragonBlade152
Summary: Link has failed, and he and Zelda have perished. Hyrule is now in the iron grip of Gannondorf. But the Goddesses have chosen new heroes. The fate of Hyrule is now in the hands of a prince in hiding and a nobody from Kakariko who, together with a small band of resistance, must overthrow Gannondorf and return peace to Hyrule.(OoT) Rated T for some blood and violence.
1. The Mission

first off, no, I do not hate Link or Zelda. I actually have something of a soft spot for Link. This story was based off a dream I had, which is why it might seem a little weird. I'd just like to say that this story is for all those people who love LoZ but have almost no gaming skills (like me).

I'm just going to say this once: I own nothing except the idea and my OCs.

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I would first like to point out that I am not traditional hero material. At five foot five and female, I'm not really cut out for anything other than housework. I'm not much of a looker either, and the fact that I choke around attractive guys means that I'll probably end up as the old cat lady who lives alone in a tiny house at the edge of town. Up until recently, that's what I thought would happen to me, provided I lived that long. Life has been hard since Gannondorf took over, and even harder since the Princess Zelda and her hero were killed in their fight with the tyrant. Since my village, Kakariko, openly helped them, we've been watched closely. You can't even go next door without one of Gannondorf's minions knowing about it.

Under those conditions it would be impossible to form any kind of resistance, right? Wrong. The people of Kakariko like their independence, so much so that they will risk everything and almost everyone to get it back. Needless to say, there was a thriving underground resistance. My parents were proud members, which, of course, endangered me as well. Even though I was practically an adult, I was never asked to join. I guess I was just not important or useful enough. Well, until the resistance decided they needed someone expendable.

It all started when my mom asked me to get something from the general store. Rather than just telling me what she needed, she handed me a piece of paper and told me to give it to the storekeeper, . I went to the store and handed Mr. Kipara the note.

"It's in the back. Come with me."

I followed him into the back of the store, a large, windowless room filled with bags, barrels, crates, boxes, and a large assortment of random items. Once the door was closed he led me to the middle of the room and stopped.

"Kari, the resistance needs your help." he said in a low voice.

"In what way?" I asked, surprised at the sudden request for _my_ help, of all people.

"We need a message taken to Prince Daltus. Anyone else would be suspicious, and so we have decided to ask you if you would be willing to go."

My mouth moved soundlessly as I tried to comprehend what was happening. The resistance, who had hitherto pretended that I did not exist, was now asking me to deliver a message to the only living member of the royal family, who was wanted by Gannondorf and so was in hiding goodness knows where, a mission that could very well end with my head parting company from my shoulders should I be discovered.

"Sure, why not?" I said.

must have either missed or ignored my sarcastic tone. "Good. Your parents will explain what you have to do. Now take this to your mother." He handed me a covered basket and led me into the main part of the store. As I went outside, I was stopped by one of the "guards" who was there to make sure no one tried anything.

"What's in the basket?" he asked as he swaggered up to me.

I had no clue what was in the basket. With a little trepidation I pulled off the cloth covering.

"Eggs." I said, resisting the urge to sigh with relief. The guard poked around in the basket to make sure there wasn't anything under the eggs before backing off.

"Fine. Move along."

I hurried home and handed my mom the basket. She looked in it and nodded in a satisfied manner. "We'll talk after dinner." she said before going to put the eggs away.

After dinner was cleaned up my parents took me down to the root cellar. It was definitely not my favorite place in the house. For one thing, it was dark, even when all three of us were holding candles. It also smelled funny. The baskets of potatoes and carrots created weird shadows as we stopped at the far end of the cellar.

"Your mother said you've decided to help." my dad said. I nodded, and he continued. "You'll need to go to Zora's Domain. That's where Prince Daltus is hiding. Give the message to him and only him."

"How am I going to get out of town?" I asked.

"You'll be going to visit your aunt Lina, who lives near Lon Lon Ranch. She's been ill, and you are going to help her until she gets better."

"Won't they want to read the letter?"

My dad winked. "Of course. That's why it will be in code."

"I'll sew the key into the top button of your shirt." my mom said, "Just make sure that gets to the prince, too."

"Here's the route you'll need to take." My dad knelt and drew a rough map in the dirt, tracing the route as he spoke. "Head towards the Ranch, then veer east, towards the river. Cross the river and follow it to it's source. There will be patrols, so you'll have to be careful."

"How am I going to get into Zora's Domain? I thought it was completely closed off."

You'll have to play a melody. It's known only to the royal family and their messengers, so they'll know you're an ally." My mom put her fingers to her lips and whistled what sounded like a lullaby. After a few tries I managed to reproduce it. "Good." My mom said, "Once you get in say you have a message from the resistance in Kakariko. Whatever you do, don't let anyone except the prince get the message. And be careful."

And so the next morning, after some last-minute instructions and near-tearful good-byes, I found myself heading towards the entrance to Kakariko Village. The guard at the entrance stopped me with his spear.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"My aunt Lina's sick, so I'm going to take care of her." I handed the guard a note written by my parents explaining where I was going, why I was going, and how long I would be. He read it several times before handing it back.

"Do you have a letter for your 'aunt Lina'?"

I gave him the letter, praying that the code wasn't obvious. He read it and snorted.

"Soppy and cheesy. I wouldn't expect anything better from you bumpkins." he crumpled the letter slightly and gave it back. "All right, you can leave. Just don't try anything funny."

I tucked the letter into my pocket and left the village, silently breathing a sigh of relief. Of course I wouldn't try anything funny. This was the most serious thing I had ever done in my entire life. That thought brought a small grin to my face, which quickly disappeared as I looked towards what once was Hyrule Castle. Instead of tall, graceful spires a huge tower loomed over what once was Hyrule Castle Town. I had only been there once, years ago, but it was still a happy memory. To think that now it was dark and empty was sad and depressing.

Looking away from the dark tower, I started walking towards the middle of Hyrule Field. All I had to do was get over the hill and I would be able to get to the river without any guards seeing me. Hopefully. Of course, knowing my luck I'd have to fight my way to Zora's Domain. To tell the truth, I'm not much of a fighter. Chasing various animals out of the garden with a stick is one thing. Actually fighting and killing is something else entirely. I doubted I would be capable of doing something like that. That led me to the question of why they had chosen me, of all people. Did they actually think I could do this? After thinking about it for a while I decided that they just needed someone expendable, someone who wasn't vital to the resistance. Just what were they willing to give? Would my parents be willing to sacrifice their daughter for freedom? Probably not. They, at least, had to have some confidence in me. Or they were talked into it. Neither idea was very comforting.

By midmorning I had reached the crest of the hill that stood between Kakariko and Lon Lon Ranch. With a deep breath I started down the hill, keeping a sharp lookout for any movement. It was eerily quiet. About halfway down the hill I started heading in the direction of the river. How I was going to cross it without getting the letter or the key wet was still a mystery. When I finally got to the river I was relieved to see that it was low. I could probably wade across it without too much difficulty.

The water, thankfully, only came up to my waist in the middle. When I made it to the other side I realized how low the sun was getting. It would be night soon, and I didn't know how many patrols were around. They would probably slack off during the night, so that was the time to move. After a little searching I found a large dip in the ground, hidden by tall grass. It wasn't much, but hopefully it would do until it got dark. I hunkered down, spreading out my skirt in an effort to dry it. Right now I wished that I had a pair of pants. It would be so much easier to sneak around.

My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. After making sure there wasn't anyone around I opened up my pack. I had to chuckle. Sitting on the top was a pair of pants. I quickly changed into them before dining on some bread and cheese. Once my skirt was dry I folded it and shoved it into the bottom of my pack. I wasn't going to need it for a little bit. It wasn't quite dark yet, so I curled up and took a cat nap.

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Sorry if the chapters seem to end in weird places. I don't think in chapters when I write. On the plus side, this story is complete, so I can update on a regular basis, probably once or twice a week. Review please!


	2. Of Princes and Fish People

And without further ado, another chapter.

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It was fully dark when I woke up from my nap. The moon hadn't risen yet, so I hadn't slept for too long. With stealth born of long hours of playing dodge the guards, I crept from my hiding place and started following the river. There were a few places where I was forced to cross a tributary, but I didn't see any guards until about halfway up the river. There was only one, and he was walking up and down a short stretch of the bank, obviously trying to keep awake. I hid in the shadows until he walked past and silently went on.  
There were a few other spots that had guards, but they were all so drowsy that I had no trouble slipping by them. Then I got to the beginning of the river, a huge waterfall that came from a lake high above. Natural bridges crisscrossed in front of it. Standing on the top one was another guard. I'd have to deal with him first.  
I crept onto the bridge just below him. He was facing the waterfall, probably to make sure a Zora didn't sneak out, so I didn't have to worry about being seen by him. After a deep breath I jumped, just barely managing to catch the edge of the bridge. I hung there silently for a moment to make sure the guard hadn't heard anything before quietly pulling myself up. One quick shove, and the guard was in the river, swept off by its quick current.  
"That wasn't too hard." I muttered as I looked around. There was a gold Triforce symbol set into the bridge, the sign of the royal family. I stood on it and whistled the melody my mom had taught me. The waterfall parted, revealing a dark tunnel.  
"No turning back now."  
I jumped off the bridge and landed on the slick floor of the tunnel seconds before the waterfall closed again. After slipping around for a moment or two I managed to regain my balance. It was pitch-black in front of me, but I really didn't have much of an option. With one hand on the damp wall, I started forward, wondering how the Zoras would welcome me, provided they didn't kill me first.  
A bright light flared up, blinding me. After a couple of seconds my eyes adjusted and I was able to see a small group of humanoid figures covered in silvery scales with tails coming out of the back of their heads. All of them were carrying spears, and one held a lantern.  
"Who are you and how did you get in?" the one with the lantern demanded.  
"My name is Kari, and I have a message for Prince Daltus from the resistance in Kakariko." I answered, trying to keep my voice from shaking.  
"Give it to us and we will make sure the prince gets it."  
I shook my head. "I was told to give it to the prince and to no one else."  
The Zora frowned. "We cannot let you see the prince."  
"Then I guess we'll just stand here until the ceiling falls in on us." I crossed my arms and glared at him. I was tired, damp, and in absolutely no mood to argue with fish people, spears or no spears.  
"What is going on?"  
Behind the Zoras was a Hylian, his features covered in shadow. When the Zoras turned the light from the lantern revealed a solemn, rather plain face with blue eyes and a shock of yellow hair. His clothes were also plain, but the way he held himself indicated he was no mere peasant. What surprised me the most, though, was that he didn't look much older than I was.  
"Your Highness, what are you doing up at this hour?" the lead Zora asked, surprised.  
"I couldn't sleep, and then I heard voices." the prince replied, "What is going on?"  
"I bring a message to you from the resistance in Kakariko, Your Highness." I said before any of the Zoras could speak.  
"The resistance in Kakariko? I was not aware that there was one."  
"We've been watched closely, so it's been almost entirely underground. Getting anything in or out has been near impossible."  
"I would like to hear more about this. If you would come with me."  
"Your Highness..." The Zora started.  
"It's fine, Ralin. I highly doubt a young girl poses much of a threat."  
Ralin frowned, but made no further protests. The prince turned and started walking down the passage, and I, after a moment of hesitation, followed him. The group of Zoras brought up the rear, the swinging lantern making our shadows dance in front of us. After a couple of turns we entered a vast chamber. Light from a few scattered lanterns and torches reflected off the water that took up most of the floor. High above, the moon shone though a crack in the ceiling. It was an amazing sight, and I was hard pressed not to stop and stare. After walking along a narrow path along the wall of the chamber the prince suddenly turned, entering a narrow passage that wound upwards. He stopped at a plain wooden door and opened it.  
"If any of you gentlemen would like to come in you are welcome."  
Ralin handed his lantern to another Zora and entered the room while the others headed back the way we had come. The prince made a ladies-first gesture, and I stepped into the room. It was plain, with nothing more than a couple of chairs and a small table with some papers and a candle on it. Prince Daltus closed the door and sat in the chair facing me.  
"What is the message you bring from Kakariko?"  
I pulled out the letter and handed it to him. "Oh, you're going to need this, too." I took out a tiny knife, one I used for sewing, and cut off the top button of my shirt. My mom had sewn cloth over it, like some women would do to make their clothes look nicer. I cut the thread holding the cloth on, revealing a small piece of paper folded into a tiny square. Without unfolding it I handed it to the prince, who seemed a little amused.  
"This was well thought out." he said as he carefully unfolded the paper. It had some tiny writing on it, and he had to hold it almost to his nose to be able to read it. After a little bit he set it down and began reading the letter, writing on another piece of paper as he did so. After he was done he read what he had written. By the time he was done his eyebrows had risen significantly. "Do you know what is in this message?" he asked.  
"No, your Highness. I was just told to deliver it."  
He handed the decoded message to me. With a little trepidation, I began reading.

_Your Highness,_  
_We wish to let you know that there is a strong underground resistance here in Kakariko and will support you in whatever way you see fit. We ask that you allow the messenger, Kari, to stay with you and assist you in whatever way you need. She can send messages with her bird._  
_Courage,_  
_Kakariko Resistance_

"What in Din's name..." I muttered, rereading it to make sure I hadn't missed something before handing it back to the prince.  
"You were unaware that you were to stay here?"  
"Yes, your Highness. I've only been a member of the resistance for less than two days, and they never mentioned anything like that."  
"How long has the resistance been active?"  
"Since Gannondorf took over. They only recently found out where you were."  
"And they sent their most inexperienced member to deliver this? Why?"  
"I don't know, your Highness. I think..." I stopped, wondering if I really should say what I was going to say.  
"You think what?"  
I hesitated. "It's just my opinion, but I was wondering if they sent me because I'm expendable."  
To my surprise, the prince chuckled. "Many people wonder that their first time around. What does it mean by you can send messages with your bird?"  
"I found a crow egg a year ago. After it hatched I trained him to come when I whistled. They probably think I can use him like a messenger pigeon."  
"Interesting." The prince was silent for a minute, seemingly lost in his thoughts. I tried, and failed miserably, to contain a yawn, and his attention snapped back to the present. "Sorry, I got preoccupied with my thoughts. You must be exhausted. Ralin, is there a place she can sleep?"  
"Yes, your Highness." the Zora said before turning to me. "This way."  
I followed him out of the room and through the halls, too tired to care about Ralin's obvious dislike for me. After what felt like ages he finally stopped in front of a small door that led to an equally small room. In the corner was a pile of empty cloth bags. I didn't even hear Ralin close the door as I wearily shrugged off my pack and collapsed on the pile of sacks. I had just barely enough time to wonder if there were rats before I fell asleep.

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And that's it. The next update will probably be Monday. Review please!


	3. Aren

I was woken by a loud pounding on the door.  
"His Highness requests your presence."  
For a second I wondered what that was supposed to mean. Yesterday's events flooded my mind. Oh, right. I had found the prince and had managed to deliver the message without getting killed by guards or fish people. With a yawn I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. What time was it, anyway? It was dark in the room, but there were also no windows to let light in. With a small groan I stretched and got up, hesitating for a second before gabbing my pack. For all I knew I'd end up trying to get back to Kakariko.  
Ralin, or so I assumed, was waiting impatiently outside. "You took long enough."  
Yep, definitely Ralin. I had no clue what he had against me. When I didn't reply he turned and started walking down the hall. After a minute or so we came to a chamber with shallow water covering most of the floor and a giant fish-frog-thing sitting on a ledge on the opposite side. Prince Daltus was standing on a raised platform, talking with the aforementioned fish-frog-thing. Ralin coughed, and he turned to see us.  
"Good morning, Kari." he said with a slight bow, "I hope you slept well."  
"Better than expected, your Highness." I said, making deep bow and hoping that was the correct thing to do.  
The prince gestured to the fish-frog-thing. "This is King Zora. He has been kind enough to give me refuge."  
I bowed to King Zora, wondering if there was any more royalty around that would require me bowing. This was going to hard on my back as it was.  
"If I may I would like to take Kari to the surface." the prince said to the king, "She says she has a way to deliver a message to the resistance in Kakariko."  
"Of course." the king said in a deep voice, "Any help is welcome."  
Prince Daltus led me up a ramp at the side of the room to the ledge where King Zora sat. Next to him was a metal fence with a gap in the middle. We went through the gap and up a short tunnel, emerging into sunlight. To the right was a lake with chunks of ice floating in it. To the left was a cliff with the river I had followed far below. We stopped by the lake, and the prince turned to me.  
"Do you think you can summon your bird from here?"  
"Maybe." I put my fingers to my lips and whistled, causing the prince to wince at the volume. After almost a minute I saw a dark speck in the sky, steadily coming closer. It was a crow, not very large, but one I was very familiar with. "Hello, Aren." I said as the crow landed on my outstretched arm, "I'm glad you were able to find me."  
"This is your crow?" the prince asked.  
"Yep, this is Aren. Your Highness." I added quickly.  
"You can call me Daltus when no one's around." he said, "I hate to admit it, but I really don't like being called your Highness all the time. It's like no one remembers my real name."  
For a second he sounded like any other teenage boy explaining why he wanted to be called by a nickname rather than his regular name. It surprised me for a moment before I remembered that he was a person just like everyone else.  
"As you wish, Daltus." I said with a slight curtsy to avoid disturbing Aren. There was a small awkward silence before Aren gently pecked my hand. I sighed. "You're always hungry." I said as I pulled a piece of jerky from my pocket and fed it to him. He cawed and gave me a 'but you still love me' look. I had to chuckle as I stroked his feathers.  
"He seems to have quite the personality." Daltus said.  
"He does."  
"Would he accept food from me?"  
"Probably. He doesn't much care where the food comes from, as long as it's something he likes."  
Daltus pulled out a piece of dried fish and held it out. After examining it Aren snatched it up.  
"This is Prince Daltus." I said to the crow, "You need to be nice to him, especially since he fed you."  
Aren seemed to accept this just fine. After a little hesitation Daltus stroked Aren's head. The crow cawed softly, obviously enjoying all the attention he was getting.  
Do you have a message you want him to deliver?" I asked after a moment.  
"Yes." The prince pulled out a small piece of paper tied with a string.  
"OK, Aren, we need you to take this to my parents. If you do it fast enough they might feed you. Wait until they give you another message, then bring it back here. Got it?"  
Aren cawed once and flapped his wings in acknowledgment. Daltus carefully tied the message to the crow's leg and stepped back as I threw my arm up. Aren took off, circling a couple of times before flying off in the direction of Kakariko. I sighed quietly as I watched him disappear in the distance. I would very much like to be in Kakariko myself, not worrying about anything other than if the guards were going to stop me on my way home from the store. Instead, I was here in Zora's Domain with a wanted prince who had goodness knows what planned for me.  
"I have one other favor to ask of you." Daltus said.  
"What is it?"  
"Do you have any food that isn't fish? I am eternally grateful to the Zoras for taking me in, but their diet is mostly fish and a few plants that grow in water, and I do grow tired of it."  
"I can understand." I said as I pulled off my pack and started digging around in it, "One time we ended up with a huge bumper crop of turnips. I've had a hard time eating them ever since."  
I handed him a small chunk of cheese and some bread, which he took with a grateful smile. We stood up there for over an hour, taking about nothing in particular while we ate. Finally the prince sighed.  
"I guess we had better get back. Thank you so much for talking with me."  
"It was my pleasure."  
We went back into the tunnel. As we walked he seemed to put on his princely demeanor, and when we entered King Zora's room he was once again Prince Daltus, the last of the royal family. He made arrangements for someone to be watching for Aren's return before going to take care of some business, leaving me free to explore Zora's Domain. It wasn't huge, but there were enough interesting things to keep me occupied, as well as some Zoras who were willing to talk to me. I learned quite a few things about Zoras, the prince, and what was happening in general. I also learned where to get meals (mostly fish, just like Daltus had said) and any supplies that I could justify needing. By the time I was ready to go to bed I was acquainted with most of Zora's Domain. I went to same room I had before, assuming that was to be my permanent place during my stay, and quickly fell asleep.

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And another chapter done. Any feedback would be appreciated.


	4. The Prince's Quest

I was planning to update last Thursday, but a combination of Thanksgiving and another story I'm writing kept it from my head until two in the morning. Sorry!

The next morning I was up early. I had had a nightmare. All I remembered was that it involved a dark figure with red eyes and a wall of fire, but it was enough to keep me from going back to sleep. Trying to distract myself from it, I wandered around until breakfast time. I was just finishing when a Zora messenger found me.  
"Your crow is back." he said before hurrying off to find the prince.  
I ran up to King Zora's room, arriving a few seconds before Prince Daltus did. We went up to the surface. Aren was circling around the lake. When he saw me he came to rest on my arm, looking at me with beady eyes. I gave him a piece of fish while Daltus untied the string holding a piece of paper to the crow's leg.  
"Good job, Aren." Daltus said as he fed Aren another piece of fish.  
We stood there talking for a few minutes before he unfolded the paper and began reading. By the way his lips were moving I could tell he had to decode it. After a while he tucked the paper into his pocket. "Your parents wish you well." he said as he pulled out another piece of paper and began writing.  
"Glad they still remember me." I muttered.  
Daltus finished writing his message and tied it to Aren's leg. We watched him fly off in silence. After a minute Daltus asked, "Do you think Aren would land on my arm if you weren't around?"  
"Probably. Why?"  
I was half-expecting him to say something to the effect of 'so I can send you home.'  
"I have a mission that I need you to do." was what he said instead.  
"W-what kind of mission?" I stuttered, taken completely off guard.  
"Have you ever heard of the Master Sword?"  
"Kind of. It's the Blade of Evil's Bane or something like that, right?"  
Daltus grinned. "Something like that. It's the only thing that can defeat Gannondorf." His grin faded. "When the Hero of Time failed, we thought the Master Sword had fallen into Gannondorf's hands. But we've discovered that isn't the case. No evil thing can touch the blade, so it was...moved, I guess you could say, out of Gannondorf's reach. I've learned it's in the Lost Woods, and I need you to get it."  
"Hold on a minute. You want me to go get the only thing that can defeat Gannondorf. Me, the nobody from Kakariko who, hitherto, has been next to useless."  
"I don't think you're a nobody, and you've definitely been more than useful." He suddenly turned red, as if realizing that what he said was a bit on the awkward side. I decided to be merciful and change the subject.  
"But why me?"  
"It would be too dangerous for me to go, even if the Zoras would let me," he explained, the red slowly leaving his face, "and a Zora would be too noticeable. Besides, Zoras can't be away from water for too long. Time is running out. That leaves you."  
I thought about it. I was already risking a lot just by being here. To leave and come back would increase the chances of me being caught by more than I cared to think about. And besides, what if I couldn't touch the Master Sword? If evil couldn't touch it, that meant that only people who didn't have any evil in them could touch it, right? What would I have to do? Wrap it in a cloth or something? Of course, he was asking me, and there really wasn't anyone else who could do it. Besides, there was that nice comment about how he didn't think I was a nobody.  
"All right." I said at last, "Where's the Lost Woods?"  
"Just south of here. Follow the river until it flows into Hyrule Field, then turn south. The entrance to the Lost Woods should be close."  
"When do you want me to leave?"  
"As soon as possible. When can you be ready?"  
"In about five minutes or so."  
"Great. Meet me by the entrance."  
Seven minutes later I was standing by the entrance with Prince Daltus and a few Zora guards. Through the torrent of water the silhouette of the guard could just barely be seen. I looked at the prince, silently asking him how I was going to get out. He motioned for me to wait. After a few minutes the silhouette suddenly disappeared.  
"One of the Zora threw a spear from the top." Daltus whispered, "They do it now and then, so you don't have to worry about them suspecting anything."  
"How am I going to get back?" I whispered.  
"The same way you got here in the first place. I'll post guards to keep a lookout for you." He pulled out a small flute and played the same melody that I had whistled to get in. The waterfall parted. "Come back safe." he said.  
I nodded and jumped onto the bridge, getting one last look at the prince before the waterfall closed. With a quiet sigh I turned and started walking. Daltus had told me to come back safe. Not "come back quickly" or "make sure you have the Master Sword." It was kind of strange. I'm not saying that no one cared about me. It's just that I'd never had anyone who wasn't related to me concerned about just me, especially with the resistance. It was always "don't do anything to endanger the resistance even though you aren't part of it and will probably never be" or something like that. To have someone, a prince no less, worried about me after knowing him for only a couple of days was...different. I could almost say refreshing; like I wasn't some pawn in a bigger game.  
The first guard made me put aside my thoughts. It was broad daylight, so I had a little more trouble sneaking by. Mostly what I did was throw a rock somewhere and sneak past while they were distracted. At last I made it to Hyrule Field. There were no guards in sight, just hills and grass as far as the eye could see. Silently thanking the Goddesses, I started walking south. The cliffs on my left began shrinking, their tops covered in forest. Finally there was a break in them, wide enough to permit trees to grow in it. The entrance to the forest was a gap in a wall of trees that grew in a straight line, almost as if someone had planted them for the sole purpose of keeping people out. A shiver ran though me as I walked between the trees. It felt like someone was watching me, deciding if I should be allowed in or not.  
To my surprise, there was a wide bridge over a scrub-filled gorge. I'd heard the stories about the Kokiri who lived in the forest, but I'd found it hard to believe in a race of children who never grew up. As I started crossing the bridge, though, I started wondering if they were true after all. Who else would live in a forest? And judging by the bridge, there had to be multiple people living there. No sane person would make such a large bridge just for himself.  
My suspicions were confirmed when I came to a village. It wasn't very big, but the fact that there were what looked like ten-year-old kids running around with winged balls of light following them more than made up for that. One of the balls of light, a fairy, fluttered up to me.  
"Somi, where are you going?"  
One of the Kokiri, a girl with blond hair, came running up. She stopped when she saw me, her eyes wide.  
"Who are you?" she asked, looking torn between curiosity and fright.  
"I'm Kari. Who are you?"  
"Rela. How did you get in? Big people aren't supposed to be able to."  
"Through a gap in the trees and over the bridge." I answered, a little confused. What did she mean when she said big people weren't supposed to be able to get in?  
"We'd better take her to the Great Deku Sprout." the fairy, who I assumed was Somi, said. Rela nodded.  
"Good idea. Come on."  
I followed her through the village. All the Kokiri stopped and stared as I passed, which made me a little nervous. Hopefully they were just curious and didn't have any violent tendencies. After crossing a stream by way of some stepping stones, we went through a ravine and into a huge clearing. At the far end was a gigantic tree, its bark gray and branches bare. At the foot of the dead tree was a short, round sapling. As we grew closer I could make out a face on it. A tree with a face. That isn't creepy.  
"Great Deku Sprout, this big person got in." Rela said.  
"I know." the sapling said, "I let her in."  
A talking tree with a face that apparently can choose who gets into the forest. No, not creepy at all.  
"Why'd you let her in?" Rela asked, wrinkling her nose.  
"Because I sensed no evil in her. Besides, you have something you must do here, correct?"  
"Yes." I said after realizing it was talking to me, "I need to get the Master Sword. Could you tell me where it is?"  
"In the Lost Woods. If it is the will of the Goddesses, you will find it. Rela, please show Kari the entrance to the Lost Woods."  
I followed the Kokiri out of the meadow. We were crossing the stream when I realized something.  
"How did it know my name?"  
"The Great Deku Sprout knows everything, just like the Great Deku Tree did." Rela answered. This didn't make much sense, but I decided not to question it in case I got even more confused. As if a magical talking tree that had a face and knew everything wasn't enough already. After a few minutes of walking we came to a dense wall of trees. Like before, there was only a small gap.  
"Here's the Lost Woods." Rela said cheerfully, "If you make it back I'll give you something."  
With that she skipped off, leaving me to enter into the Lost Woods.


	5. The Master Sword

It was dark underneath the canopy of branches. I went forward cautiously, jumping at almost every sound. Were there any wild animals or monsters who'd love a little snack about now? I had nothing to defend myself with other than a tiny knife and my pack. Maybe I could outrun them. But where would I run to? As I looked around I realized I was lost. I couldn't even tell where the sun was. Great. Just great.  
"No wonder they call it the Lost Woods." I muttered to myself as I continued to wander around, "I don't know if it's possible to not get lost."  
As the day wore on I started wondering how long it would take me to find the Master Sword, if I ever actually found it. A few days, maybe? I'd heard the stories where people spent too long in the Lost Woods. Kids got turned into Skullkids, and adults became Stalfos. I really didn't want to become a Stalfos. But how long was too long? More than a day? More than a week? Of course, this was assuming that I wouldn't run out of food and starve first.  
After several hours of trying to find either the Master Sword or the exit I started getting discouraged. Everything looked the same. Finally I stopped. I would probably never find my way out of here. With a sigh I pulled out some dried fish and ate it. No sense dying or getting turned into a Stalfos on an empty stomach, right? When I was done I hesitated before kneeling on the ground.  
"Dear Goddesses," I prayed quietly, "Please help me either find the Master Sword of find the way out. I don't really care which at this point."  
I stood, swung my pack on, and started walking. After about ten minutes I suddenly entered a clearing. It wasn't very big, but the sunlight that came into it more than made up for that. The trees stood like leafy walls and grass covered the ground. In the middle of it all was the Master Sword. At least, I assumed it was the Master Sword. It was standing point-down in a rock with the Triforce symbol on it. As I got closer a shiver ran down my spine, like there was an invisible power radiating from the sword. It almost seemed to hum as I stopped in front of it. Should I try to grab it? Would I get burned to cinders if I touched it? Maybe I should use a cloth or something.  
Almost of its own accord, my hand reached out and wrapped around the hilt. For a second it seemed like a black vapor came out of me before disappearing. With a bit of effort I pulled it out and held it up. Sunlight glinted along the blade like golden fire. I just stared at it for a moment. I had found the Master Sword. I was holding the Master Sword. I hadn't been struck by lightning or burned to a crisp.  
A weight on my shoulder distracted me from my amazement. I looked behind me and saw a blue-and-gold scabbard hanging from a wide leather strap that went over my shoulder and diagonally across my chest. Great. I guess a sword as powerful as the Master Sword would have a magical sheath. After a moment of thought I carefully slid the Master Sword into the scabbard. It felt...natural almost, like it was supposed to be there.  
"Dear Goddesses, thank you for guiding me to the Master Sword. Now please help me get out of here in one piece without being turned into a Stalfos."  
With that little prayer I started back the way I had come. In less than an hour I was standing outside the entrance to the Lost Woods, the late afternoon sun giving the leaves around me a golden tinge. I took a deep breath, glad to be out of the closeness of the trees.  
"Dear Goddesses, thank you for leading me out of there." I breathed.  
"You made it out!" Rela came skipping up, Somi bobbing behind. "I was wondering if you'd get turned into a Stalfos. That's what happens to big people when they get stuck in the Lost Woods."  
"Well, that didn't happen to me, thank goodness."  
"Yep. You want to stay with me tonight? The Great Deku Sprout said I should be extra nice to you if you came out because that means you've been chosen by the Goddesses."  
"Umm...OK." I wasn't exactly sure how to take that.  
"Great! Then I can make you the something I was going to give you tomorrow so it'll be extra good."  
She skipped off, and I followed her down through the village. The Kokiri stared at me like they had last time, but now they seemed more interested in the sword on my back. Many of them whispered to each other as I walked past. I heard something that sounded like "just like the last guy. You know, the one like Link", but I wasn't sure if I had heard correctly.  
"Here's my house!" Rela said, stopping in front of a small house that looked like it was once part of a huge tree. She pulled aside the cloth door and went inside, motioning for me to follow. I ducked (literally) through the door. The house was a single room. A bed stood against the far wall, and a table and three chairs occupied the middle. A chest and a set of drawers stood next to the bed. Everything was kid-sized, including the ceiling, which made me grateful for once that I wasn't that tall.  
"Tomorrow the Great Deku Sprout wants to talk to you." Somi said as Rela started putting various fruits and vegetables on the table.  
"Then tomorrow I guess I'll go and talk to him." I said.  
"Good. Then I'll have time to make your surprise." Rela said.  
After eating the food Rela had put out (and sharing some of my dried fish, which I was happy to get rid of) I was given a place on the floor, since I was too big for the bed even if Rela had been willing to let me have it. Spending most of the day walking had taken a lot after me, and I was asleep before I even thought of taking off the Master Sword.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter. It's just kind of how it got divided up. Oh, and bonus points for the first one to post a review for this story!


	6. The Magical Talking Tree Explains

"Hey, wake up sleepy!"  
"'S too early." I muttered, rolling over to escape the voice.  
"No it's not. The Great Deku Sprout wants to see you, remember?"  
"Can't it..." I suddenly sat up. "Wait, what?"  
Somi was bobbing in front of me, a little aggravated. "The Great Deku Sprout. He wants to see you, so you'd better not keep him waiting."  
"Oh, right." I stood and stretched, adjusting the strap on my shoulder before looking around. Rela wasn't there. Maybe she was working on her little "surprise," whatever that was. She'd probably sent Somi to make sure I got up.  
"Can you get to the Deku Meadow by yourself?"  
"Probably."  
"OK. See you later!"  
Somi darted out the window. With a little shrug I dug some food out of my pack and munched on it as I walked. It was later than I had originally thought, but still early enough that there weren't many Kokiri out and about. I found the Meadow without too much trouble.  
"I see you found the Master Sword." the Great Deku sprout said as I walked up.  
"Yes." I replied as I stopped in front of it. What exactly was the protocol for speaking with a magical talking tree that knew everything?  
"Do you know what that means?"  
I thought about what Rela had said yesterday. "That I'm chosen by the Goddesses or something?"  
"Correct. You are the Goddesses' chosen hero."  
"W-wait." I sputtered, "Hold on a second. I am not a hero."  
"Try telling that to the sword."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, a little disbelieving.  
"The Master Sword chose you as its master; otherwise you could not have drawn it. That alone shows you are a hero." the Great Deku Sprout answered gravely.  
"But I haven't done anything that would earn me the title of hero." I pointed out.  
"Not yet, perhaps. But you have the makings of a great hero, and that is what is important."  
"But why me? I'm sure there's a ton of other people who would make better heroes than me. I'm just a nobody."  
"No one is a true nobody. As for why you were chosen, I do not know. It is not always for us to know how the Divine Powers work. But know this: you were indeed the best choice. If you were not we would not be having this conversation. It is your destiny. All you have to do now is choose whether or not you accept it."  
I didn't know how to reply to that, so I stood in silence until another thought struck me. "Wait. If I'm the Goddesses' chosen hero, that means..."  
"That you will have to face Gannondorf. Yes, that is your fate, should you choose to accept it. You will not have to confront him until you are deemed ready, though, so you need not worry about that just yet. Rather, focus on achieving your potential."  
"And how to I do that?"  
"One step at a time." the Great Deku Sprout said philosophically, "First, you must know about the great powers with which your fate has been entwined. Please, have a seat."  
For the next four hours I learned all about the Goddesses, the Triforce, the hero who had gone before me, and a whole bunch of other stuff. The funny thing was that it didn't seem like four hours. It was more like a story told by an experienced storyteller, the kind where you got so absorbed in it that you forgot about everything else, and you never wanted it to end. When it finally did end it took me a second to realize that I was still in the Deku Meadow, sitting in front of the Great Deku Sprout.  
"That is what you have become involved in." he said after a few moments of silence, "Now you must return to the prince. Tell him that hope is not yet lost, and he will see the one he lost again. Safe journey."  
"Thanks." I said before leaving. My head was still spinning a little from the history lesson to end all history lessons, and I almost walked right past Rela.  
"Wow, that took a long time."  
"Yeah, it did." I said, realizing that it was now after noon.  
"That's OK. Sometimes the Great Deku Sprout has a bunch of stuff to tell, just like the Great Deku Tree did. Anyway, here's the surprise I promised you!" She held out two rectangular objects wrapped in leaves. "It's a special bread that I make with berries from the forest. I call it friendship bread because it's really good to share with friends. You should share it with someone special."  
Rela said goodbye and skipped off, Somi fluttering behind. I left, crossing over the bridge and walking through the ravine. The sunlight seemed bright after spending all that time in the forest. As I walked I started thinking about the bread Rela had given me. So I was supposed to give a loaf to someone special? What did she mean by special? Or did she just mean a friend? I knew I was thinking too much about it, but it kept me from thinking about my seemingly inevitable battle with Gannondorf. No matter how much I tried I couldn't see that ending well. In fact, I couldn't see it ending without me dying.  
A loud caw startled me from my thoughts. Aren was circling overhead, obviously trying to get my attention. I held out my arm and he landed on it.  
"You didn't get lost, did you?" I asked, wondering if he had refused to land on Daltus's arm after all.  
Aren shook one of his legs. There was a piece of paper tied to it. I could barely make out my name written in small but neat handwriting.  
"A message for me? Hmm."  
I managed to untie the message with one hand and read it. It was in a neat, flowing script, which immediately ruled out most of Kakariko.

Kari  
I hope this message finds you well and in possession of the thing. When you are ready to come back the way will open at midnight.

D.

"Midnight. Right." I would have written a reply, but I didn't have the means of writing one. D obviously stood for Daltus, so I figured it was true. Aren cawed again and I smiled. "Yes, I have the thing." I gestured to the sword on my back. "I promise I'll try to get back safe, too."  
After giving the crow my last piece of dried fish (he seemed to like dried fish for some odd reason) I launched him into the air. I watched him fly towards Kakariko for a moment before starting to walk again. I had until midnight, but Hyrule Field was too open for me to safely hide. After a bit of thought I decided to hide in the same place I had previously, the large dip in the ground with the tall grass. After wading through the river I started following it until I reached the spot. It looked like no one had been by recently, so I hunkered down and got ready to wait for nightfall.  
The sun was setting when I heard people approaching. I peeked over the grass and saw a pair of guards walking down from upriver. With a silent prayer that they wouldn't find me I ducked down, pressing myself to the ground. Luckily they didn't go through the grass I was hiding in.  
"Did you hear about Geordi?" one of them said.  
"Yeah. Stinkin' Zoras got him last night."  
"They got another one the day before, too. It's getting dangerous up this way."  
"No kidding. I'd rather be in Kakariko. I've heard they got it easy over there. No spears or rocks being thrown at them."  
"Yeah. Them Kakariko folk have gotten really docile. Must be scared."  
The guards went out of earshot. I had to snicker. Kakariko people, docile? They were doing a better job at not attracting attention than I had thought. I wondered if the guards in Kakariko thought the same way.  
When it started getting close to midnight I left my hiding spot and started up the river. Getting past the guards was much harder this time. Not only were there more of them, but they seemed more alert. It probably had to do with the guards getting killed recently. Somehow, I managed to slip by them. While I did have a sword, and the Master Sword to boot, I doubted that I could win against one of them, much less and entire squadron. I made it to the bridges and found a dark corner to hide in. A guard was standing on the top one, looking around nervously. He probably thought he'd get offed like that last ones had. I pitied him for a moment before remembering that he had chosen to serve Gannondorf.  
Nothing happened until around midnight. A spear came from the top of the waterfall, hitting the guard with deadly accuracy. Once he had toppled from the bridge I crept up to where he had been standing. I put my fingers to my lips and whistled the melody. The waterfall parted, and I jumped into the tunnel. When it closed again a light flared up. Daltus, Ralin, and a couple other Zoras were standing there.  
"You've made it back safe." the prince said, obviously relieved.  
"I did. And I brought this back, too." I pulled out the Master Sword and held it out. Their eyes widened as they looked at the legendary blade.  
"So it chose you as its master." Daltus said, wonder edging his voice.  
"Yeah, about that." I put the sword away. "Why exactly did you send me?"  
"That's a story for another time." the prince replied, then paused for a moment. "You seem...different."  
I had to stop and think for a moment before realizing that he was right. Normally I would have started chewing him out for not telling me about the whole "the sword will chose you and so you will have to fight Gannondorf" thing. "Maybe its because I'm tired. Or I spent four hours listening to a talking tree."  
"A talking tree? I'd like to hear about it, if you're feeling up to it."  
"Sure, if you're up to hearing about it."  
I followed the prince to the same room I had my first night. After he had closed the door and sat down I started telling him the whole story, starting from when the waterfall had closed behind me and going all the way to when I returned, including the Great Deku Sprout's message. When I finished Daltus looked thoughtful, almost nostalgic.  
"I'll see the one I lost." he muttered to himself.  
"Oh, I brought you something." I pulled out one of the loaves Rela had given me and offered it to him. He took it and lifted one of the leaves.  
"You are a saint." he said, chuckling, "Now we should get to bed."  
"Sounds like a good plan to me."  
We said goodnight and left. I went to my room, as I had started thinking about it, and was asleep as soon as I had lain down.


	7. Training

The next morning (after a rude awakening by Ralin) I went to the lake, where Daltus was waiting for me. After Aren had delivered a message and had been sent off with another one the prince turned to me.  
"Now it's time for you to learn how to use that sword."  
He picked up a sword that had, unnoticed by me, been resting against the rock face. When I saw that there was only one sword I reluctantly drew the Master Sword.  
"You're not going to try to actually hurt me, are you?" I asked.  
Daltus winked. "Not at first."  
He began teaching me the basics of swordplay, such as how to hold the sword correctly (I had to use both hands), how to block, and how to swing without getting thrown off balance. Once I had those down we started having mock fights. At first it was over in about ten seconds. By the end of the day, though, I could hold my own for almost a minute before I was disarmed.  
"You're doing excellent." Daltus said when we finally stopped, "It would take most people weeks to learn what you have."  
I shrugged, too tired to reply. I don't know if he saw it as humility or not, because he just grinned.  
"Tomorrow we get to the fun stuff."  
"Whoopee." I sighed before grinning. "Of course, that's assuming I'm not too stiff to get out of bed."  
"Oh, we'll get you out of bed one way or another."  
"That's what I'm afraid of." I muttered as we left.  
The next morning I tried to sit up and immediately understood the meaning of the saying "stiff as a board." My entire body hurt, especially my right arm. After a bit of grumbling I managed to stagger out of my room. Ralin was standing there, grinning.  
"Aren't we a little bag of sunshine today." he said.  
"Shut up." I replied, glaring at him.  
"The prince wants to see you at the surface." Ralin walked off, snickering.  
I took my time getting to the lake, trying to work some of the stiffness out. By the time I got there I could walk more like a sixteen year old than an eighty year old. The prince also seemed amused, but he was wise enough to say nothing. After a few warm-ups we started our mock fights and continued working until the sun set. This routine continued for about a week and a half. When I could manage to disarm Daltus repeatedly in less than two minutes he said, "I think you've learned enough."  
"Great." I said, rolling my shoulder in the hopes that it wouldn't get too stiff, "What little adventure do you have planned for me next?"  
The prince grinned a little. "I'll tell you tomorrow." he replied, "You can take the rest of the day off."  
He left, and I glanced at the late afternoon sun. 'The rest of the day' didn't amount to much, but right now I'd take whatever rest I could. Rather than going back into the caves, I sat down by the lake, looking at the chunks of ice that floated around. Zora's Domain had been frozen over at one point, but they'd gotten thawed out by Princess Zelda's hero. The ice in the lake had remained, though. I'd been told they'd gotten smaller, but not by much. Everyone figured that they would vanish once Gannondorf was taken care of. If he was taken care of, that is. The fact that the entire fate of Hyrule seemed to rest on me didn't help bolster anyone's confidence, especially mine.  
When the sun had set I went inside, found some food, and went to bed. The next morning I ate a quick breakfast and went to the surface. No one was there, so I was content to wait. It was quiet; the sun had just barely made it over the small cliff that was on the opposite side of the lake, and everyone who was awake was down below in the caves. I just stood there, enjoying the peace and quiet while ignoring the multitude of questions I knew I would have to face later.  
A loud caw interrupted the stillness. Aren was circling overhead. I held out my arm, and he glided down to land on it.  
"You're early." I said.  
Aren gave me a so-what? look. I grinned and gave him some dried fish before stroking his head. He closed his eyes, enjoying it just like he had almost since he had hatched.  
"A couple of early birds, I see."  
I turned to see Daltus come from the tunnel entrance. He smiled as he stopped next to me. "How are you doing this morning?"  
"I'm doing well. What about you?"  
"About the same. I didn't sleep well last night, but that's nothing unusual."  
Aren cawed and shook his leg, preventing me from asking why Daltus hadn't slept well. The prince chuckled and untied the message. His grin faded when he read it.  
"They're having a hard time in Kakariko." he said, "The guards are getting stricter. I wonder if Gannondorf knows about the Master Sword."  
"I hope not." I said quietly. The guards had been strict when I had left. Hearing that they were getting even more so worried me. Was my family safe? Were they being careful enough? I was torn between wanting to run home to make sure everything was OK and wanting to find the nearest guard and punch him in the face.  
"They said it wasn't anything to worry about, though." Daltus said as he tucked the message into his pocket. "But it does mean that we have to move quickly."  
He wrote a reply and tied it to Aren's leg. As the crow flew off he motioned for me to follow him. We went to what Daltus referred to as his command post, which was the room with two chairs and a table where he seemed to spend most of his time when he wasn't teaching me how to use a sword. After he had closed the door he turned to me with a serious expression on his face.  
"You know that we have to move fast if we want any chance of defeating Gannondorf. But I know that right now neither of us are strong enough. You need to get the power of the Sages."  
"How?" I really had no clue how I was going to get the power of even one Sage, much less however many there were.  
"You need to travel to the Temple of Time. At the back is the room where the Master Sword once stood. In there you need to pray and ask for the Sages' help. If you are indeed the chosen one, they will lend you their power."  
"The Temple of Time? But that's..."  
"In what once was Castle Town, almost right next to Gannondorf's tower. I believe that his evil hasn't corrupted the Temple, at least not wholly. It will be dangerous, but there is no other way if we are to succeed."  
I took a moment to digest this information. "Do you know what I might have to face?"  
"No, I'm afraid not. But I do have something that might help you." He pulled a bottle from his pocket and handed it to me. Inside was a pinkish-white ball of light with wings. A fairy, one of the ones that would heal you if you got badly injured.  
"Where did you find it?"  
He winked. "That's a secret."  
I inwardly sighed as I tucked the fairy into my pocket. "All right then. If I make it back will you tell me how you know all these things?"  
A slight smile tugged at his lips. "When you come back I'll tell you."  
"OK. Let's get this show on the road."  
After that it was the same deal as last time. We waited by the entrance until a Zora up top threw a spear and took out the guard. The prince opened the way, and I leaped out and started creeping down river. I was getting abnormally good at dodging guards in broad daylight, though I did have to wonder why I kept leaving during the daytime. Was it really that urgent? Or maybe Daltus thought that I could just fight the guards off this time around. Either way, I used up a considerable chunk of whatever luck I had left and managed to get past the guards and into Hyrule Field without getting caught. Now I just had to make it into the heart of enemy territory and back alive.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! It's made me so happy I'm going to change my update schedule to three times a week. So if I forget, feel free to remind me.


	8. Shadows and Medallions

If you're wondering why I posted this chapter the day after I posted the last one, it's because I actually posted the last chapter Monday night, but I put it on the wrong story. Several people were kind enough to point this out (thanks guys!) so I reposted it yesterday onto the right story. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

It wasn't a terribly long walk to what remained of Castle Town, but there were enough guards to slow me down considerably. I had to be especially careful around the entrance to Kakariko. There was a greater chance on of the guards might recognize me and drag me back. As much as I wanted to go home right now, my mission was more important. Surprisingly, the guards thinned out as I got closer to my destination. By the time I got to the ruined drawbridge there was no one in sight, though the sky was dark and ominous.  
"Either he's overconfident or there's something I'm missing." I murmured to myself.  
I crossed the ruined bridge and carefully walked through the deserted street. When I came to the main square I stopped, frozen in my tracks. Around the square squatted humanoid figures wearing wooden masks. ReDeads. They were the stuff from stories told in whispers, all the more terrifying because they were real. And I was facing a place full of them.  
I retreated into the shadows, looking around until I spotted the tall spires of the Temple of Time. It was across and to the right of where I was standing. So I wouldn't have to run through the entire horde of ReDeads, just most of them. But how to go about it? I might be able to sneak by them. If worse came to worse I could fight my way through, but I wasn't sure if that was the best idea. If the stories were true ReDeads could paralyze people with one shriek.  
After a few minutes of silently arguing with myself I decided to sneak by. I didn't know how good their vision was, or if they could even see, but it was worth a shot. As quietly as possible, I started sneaking around the disturbing figures. I was about half-way there when I stumbled over a loose fragment of paving stone. It clattered loudly, breaking the silence. I froze momentarily. Maybe they hadn't heard it? There was a collective moan and the ReDeads stood. Guess not. I started running as fast as I could, hoping there weren't any near the Temple.  
A piercing shriek tore through the air, causing my muscles to freeze. I could only watch as the monsters shuffled closer. As they came almost close enough to touch me I regained movement. I took off, barely dodging the ReDeads. I took the steps leading up to the Temple two at a time, shoved one of the huge doors open, and slammed it behind me. Breathing heavily, I leaned against the door with one ear pressed against it. There was no noise. Either they hadn't followed me, or the door was too thick to hear anything through. I didn't really care which, as long as they didn't follow me inside.  
Once I was sure I was safe I turned to look at the interior of the legendary Temple of Time. What I saw took my breath away. It was huge and open, with tall pillars near the walls helping to hold up the roof. Elegant stonework was faintly mirrored in the black-and-white tile on the floor. In the middle was a gray stone slab with a simple geometric design on top. Light from an unknown source cast shadows on the walls. On the far end was a long altar of some sort. Behind that were some steps leading up to a door with a golden Triforce above it. That must be the room I was supposed to go to. With a deep breath I started walking across the floor, my footsteps echoing faintly on the tile.  
I had just made it to the stone slab on the floor when a shadow detached itself from the wall and came to stand in front of me. I gulped. The shadow looked almost exactly like me, except it was entirely black with red eyes. It drew its sword, a dark mockery of the one on my back. I drew my own, assuming I was going to have to fight it to get though. The shadow lunged and I just managed to block it. Guess I was right. After exchanging blows for a minute I realized this was going to be a lot harder than I had first thought. This shadow seemed to know all the moves I knew. What's more, it seemed to know what I was going to do before I did it. How did one defeat an enemy that seemed to be able to read one's mind?  
I messed up a block and the shadow's sword sliced my arm. I gasped in pain and backed off. This wasn't a friendly sparring match with Daltus, I realized. This was a life or death situation I was in. For a second I wished he had actually tried to hurt me during his lessons so I'd know what to do. Then the shadow advanced, and I was forced to focus on not dying.  
I tried everything Daltus had taught me, but the shadow was able to block them before using the same moves on me. Before long I was bleeding from quite a few places. The Master Sword was getting too heavy to hold. As the shadow and I circled, I wondered how it knew everything I did. Then something hit me. If it knew everything I did and was planning accordingly, then the best way to defeat it would be to do something unexpected. But what should I do that I wouldn't normally do?  
The dark blade went deep into my shoulder. For a second I was face to face with the shadow me. I knew it was expecting me to either fall to my knees or wait until it pulled its sword out. With a desperate lunge I thrust the Master Sword into the shadow's chest, ignoring the fact that I was impaling myself further on the shadow's blade. The shadow looked surprised for a moment before staggering back, pulling its sword out in the process. I lunged, driving my sword right through it forehead. It vanished in a puff of black flame.  
I stood still for a moment, waiting to see if the shadow me would come back. My legs gave out and I sank to my knees. The full extent of my injuries made itself known, and I closed my eyes in pain. There were so many, and many of them were deep. How was I ever going to make it to the other side of the room, much less all the way back to Zora's domain?  
Something moved in my pocket, causing me to jump slightly. I reached into it and pulled out the bottle with the fairy in it. The ball of light was going crazy, bouncing against the sides of the jar and running into the cork stopper in a vain attempt to get out. With a little bit of trouble I managed to pull the stopper out. The fairy zoomed out and circled around me, leaving small sparkles in its wake. As it flew around me my wounds closed up, healed in almost an instant.  
"Thanks." I said.  
The fairy bobbed once before disappearing. With a sigh I stood up. My clothes were torn to shreds, but I didn't have any extras or the time to fix them. I put the Master Sword back in its sheath and walked to the altar. Three glittering stones set in gold rested in small niches. I carefully went around the altar and walked up the steps to the door. Beyond the doorway was a small room with a high ceiling. In the center was a raised platform with steps leading up to it. In the middle of the platform was a trapezoidal stone with the Triforce mark on it; the place where the Master Sword used to rest. The sword on my back seemed to hum in recognition of what had been its home for so long.  
Feeling a little awkward, I climbed up on the platform and knelt down. The air was quiet and still, almost like it was holding its breath in anticipation. With a deep breath I closed my eyes and bowed my head.  
"Dear Goddesses, or whoever I'm supposed to be praying to, please help me to gain the power of the Sages so that I may defeat Gannondorf."  
There was a whoosh of air. I opened my eyes just in time to see a transparent blue crystal form around me. It started rising, taking me with it. Everything went white for a moment. When the white faded I saw that I wasn't in the Temple of Time anymore. There didn't appear to be any walls, just darkness with the occasional free-standing waterfall here and there. Below me was a large platform with a big, raised Triforce symbol in the middle. Around that were six smaller round raised symbols in varying colors. Water was flowing around the symbols and falling off the edge of the platform into the unknown depths below.  
The crystal I was in descended until I was standing in the middle of the Triforce before fading. I was facing the yellow symbol. It looked like the one on the stone slab in the middle of the floor in the Temple of Time. There was a flash of light and a short old man in orange and red robes appeared on it.  
"Welcome to the Temple of Light, chosen one." he said in a solemn voice, "I am Rauru, Sage of Light. You have come here to aquire the aid of the Sages to defeat Gannondorf, correct?"  
"Yes, sir." I replied.  
"Then you shall have it. Receive my power!"  
A golden medallion with the same symbol Rauru was standing on came floating down to rest in my hands. It was a little smaller than my palm and felt warm to the touch.  
"Thank you, sir." I said.  
Rauru nodded and disappeared. There was a flash of light to my right. I turned to face a green-haired girl who looked suspiciously like a Kokiri.  
"I'm Saria, the Forest Sage." she said in a pretty, lilting voice, "I'm glad you were able to be friends with another Kokiri. Here is my strength."  
A green medallion came down to rest in my hands. With a smile Saria vanished and another figure appeared to my right. This one was a Goron with a slightly roguish grin.  
"I'm the Fire Sage Darunia. So you're the new chosen one? Take my strength. You look like you'll need it."  
I was tempted to make a snide remark, but I refrained. He was probably right. A ruby-red medallion came to land in my hands. With a wink Darunia disappeared. With a flash of light a tall Zora woman appeared to my right.  
"I'm Ruto, the Sage of Water. You've brought hope to my father. The least I can do is give you this."  
A deep blue medallion came down into my hands. She smiled.  
"Tell King Zora his daughter said hello."  
Wait, she was King Zora's daughter? I wanted to ask her about it, but she disappeared before I could say anything. Storing my questions for later, I turned to face the next figure that appeared. She had reddish hair and tanned skin. From her dress and the whole one book I had ever seen on the subject, I guessed she was one of the Gerudo thieves that lived in the desert.  
"I'm Nabooru of the desert, Sage of Spirit. Take my strength and use it to give that Gannondorf a good pounding."  
An orange medallion came to rest in my palm. With a wink Nabooru disappeared. I turned to face the last Sage. To my surprise it was someone I knew.  
"Hello, Kari." Impa said, "I'm glad to see you again."  
"You...you're a Sage?" I sputtered.  
"That's right. I'm the Sage of Shadows." Impa replied, looking amused. "You look more surprised to see me here than I am to see you."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"I watched you grow up. For a few years now I've thought you had the potential to do some great things. I will gladly give you my strength."  
A purple medallion landed in my hands. "Thank you, Impa." I said.  
"You have the power of the Sages behind you. Now go and become the hero you are destined to be."  
The crystal once again surrounded me and the world went white. I found myself back in the Temple of Time, the six medallions clutched in my hands. With a little smile I tucked them in my pockets. Impa, the great Impa who had built Kakariko into the thriving village that it was, had said she had thought I had potential and that I was destined to be a hero. I had never thought she had paid that much attention to me. Sure, she had been a good friend of my parents and had come over whenever she had business in Kakariko, but I had always been the little girl in the background, trying not to make a fool of myself and only marginally succeeding. And to think that she had been watching me all that time.


	9. Explanations

I walked out of the room and headed towards the doors, keeping an eye out for the shadow in case it decided to appear again. It didn't, and I made it to the huge double doors. I slowly pulled one open a crack and peeked out. Nothing outside. I pulled it open just enough to let me slip out before pulling it shut again. The yard in front of the Temple of Time, while full of dead grass and weeds, was devoid of life. The ReDeads must stay in the main square. Too bad there wasn't any side streets I could take. Of course, that was assuming there weren't any ReDeads in the streets and alleyways as well. On second thought, meeting one in an alleyway would be worse, since there would be nowhere I could run to other than the way I had come. That, along with the potential of being ambushed, caused me to creep carefully towards the main square.  
Sure enough, the ReDeads were crouching around the square like they had been when I had first seen them. If I was careful I might be able to sneak by them this time. Just to be safe, I drew the Master Sword. The quiet scrape of metal on metal caused the ReDeads' heads to turn towards me. To heck with sneaking. I started running. A ReDead appeared in front of me. I didn't slow down as I hacked at it. After reaching the street that led to the drawbridge I slowed down. It didn't sound like any of them were following me. I risked a look back. The ReDeads were still in the square, gathered around something. Against my better judgment I crept back. They were crouching around the ReDead I had killed. I couldn't tell exactly what they were doing. Were they...eating it? Gross.  
I left the remains of Castle Town and started heading back towards Zora's Domain. It was getting dark, but I couldn't stop if I wanted to get there in time for the guard to be taken care of. After making sure the guards in Hyrule Field didn't catch me I made it to the river. As I waded across I tried to ignore how cold it was. This was going to be an unpleasant night.  
Of course, things just got harder from there. All the guards now carried lanterns, which made it much, much harder to sneak by. I'm sure a couple of them actually saw me but dismissed me as a figment of their imagination. After all, why would a teenage girl be creeping around a river in the middle of nowhere with a sword on her back?  
I got to the waterfall just in time to see the guard topple off the bridge. If that wasn't good timing I didn't know what was. I stood on the bridge, whistled the song, and jumped into the tunnel. Daltus and the usual Zoras were waiting.  
"Kari, what on earth happened to you?" Daltus asked, a concerned look on his face.  
It took me a second before I realized that I probably looked like a mess. "I ran into some trouble." I replied, "I'm fine, though. That fairy you gave me saved my bacon."  
"I'm glad it was useful." Daltus smiled, but there was still concern in his eyes. "Do you feel up to telling me about it tonight, or would you rather tell me in the morning?"  
To be prefectly honest, I would have much rather told him in the morning after a good night's rest. I knew, however, that he probably wouldn't sleep until he knew why I had come back looking like something the cat dragged in. "I can tell you tonight." I said.  
We went to the prince's command post, where I gave him the whole speel. In fact, I probably rambled; I tend to do that when I'm tired. He listened to all of it, though, especially the part where I was fighting the shadow.  
"I should have prepared you more." he said when I had finished.  
"You did the best you could." I replied. We sat in silence for a few moments before I said, "Now will you tell me how you know everything?"  
The prince was quiet for a moment. "What do you know about the Triforce?"  
I had to think for a moment before remembering everything the Great Deku Sprout had told me about the Triforce. "It's part of the Goddesses' power that was left here when they finished creating the earth. If a righteous person touches it then they will have their wish granted. But if an evil person touches it, they will only get the part of the Triforce that is most like them. The other parts will go to other people who are most like them, and the world will be consumed by evil."  
Daltus nodded. "That is correct. When Gannondorf touched the Triforce, it split. He received the Triforce of Power, while Wisdom went to my sister and Courage went to Link. I knew my sister and her hero had...failed...when I gained this." He held out his right hand, palm down. On the back of his hand, almost too faint to be seen, was the Triforce.  
"So you have the Triforce of Wisdom?"  
"Correct."  
I was silent for a moment, thinking. "So then where did the Triforce of Courage go?"  
"That is a little harder to explain." he replied, "I believe you are the bearer of the Trifroce of Courage."  
"Me?" I looked at the backs of both my hands, but couldn't find anything unusual. "I don't think so."  
"You don't have it right now. If you did then the parts of the Triforce would respond to each other. How can I explain it?" Daltus stared at the wall for a moments. "I guess one way of putting it would be that you are the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, but you don't have it. Not yet, anyway."  
"So you're saying I will get the Triforce of Courage, just not now."  
"Yes. I don't know when, but I believe it will be soon, after you have proven yourself."  
"What exactly do you mean by 'prove myself'?"  
"I don't know. It might not happen until you're facing Gannondorf."  
"OK. And what happens if I don't get it?"  
The prince shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you will still be able to defeat Gannondorf, maybe you won't. I do think, though, that you will get it."  
I didn't say anything. After a minute Daltus suggested we go to bed, and I gladly did so. As exhausted as I was, though, I didn't go to sleep immediately. Princess Zelda's hero, Link, wasn't it? He had had the Triforce of Courage, but he had still failed. If I didn't get it, was there any hope of me succeeding? Was there any hope even if I did get the Triforce? After what felt like an eternity of worrying my body overcame my mind, and I fell asleep.


	10. Tomorrow

I was woken up the next morning when the door opened and something was thrown on top of me.  
"Hurry up and change. The prince wants to see you on the surface."  
Muttering about stupid fish people with no manners, I sat up and looked at what had been thrown on me. It was a plain, off-white shirt and a pair of brown pants. They looked a little big for me, but I wasn't going to complain. As I changed I noticed that the right sleeve had several small holes. It took me a moment to realize where the holes had come from. Sometimes when Aren landed on my arm his claws would poke holes in my sleeve. The holes were in the same pattern as his claws. Was this Daltus's shirt? It looked big enough to fit him, and the Zoras didn't wear clothes like this. A bit of red started creeping into my cheeks. The prince had given me some of his own clothes. I wondered how many clothes he had. Then I remembered I had only seen him wearing three or four different outfits. My blush deepened. I didn't know what to think about Daltus giving me one of his few sets of clothing.  
When my face was no longer hot I started heading to the surface. When I entered King Zora's room, though, I remembered Ruto's message. Had Daltus already told him? If not I probably should.  
"Um, your Highness?" I said.  
"Yes?" he said as he looked at me.  
"Um, your daughter Ruto wanted me to tell you she said hello."  
King Zora perked up. "My darling Ruto? She's alive?"  
"Yes, your Highness. She's the Sage of Water."  
"Wonderful! Fantastic! My darling Ruto, alive! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!"  
"You're welcome." I said before going up to the surface and leaving the monarch to burble happily about how his daughter was alive.  
Daltus was standing by the lake, Aren perched on his arm. The prince smiled when he saw me.  
"Good morning. I see I managed to beat you up for once."  
"Yep." I walked over and stroked Aren's head. The crow gave me a look as if to ask, "where were you?" I rolled my eyes and gave him a piece of fish. Once he had snatched that up Aren hopped onto my arm, allowing Daltus to write a reply to the message he already held in his hand. When Aren had been sent off Daltus and I stood and talked for a while. It was nice, being able to just talk about nothing in particular instead of the mess we were up to our eyebrows in. I should have known it wouldn't last, though.  
"Could you face Gannondorf tomorrow?" Daltus asked suddenly.  
"W-wait, what?" I sputtered, thrown off by the abrupt change in topic.  
"Could you face Gannondorf tomorrow?" he repeated.  
"I think, maybe. I don't know. Why?"  
The prince looked out across the river and Hyrule Field beyond it. "We don't have much more time. Every day we have less chance of succeeding. I'm beginning to believe we're down to hours now. I wish we had more time, but we don't."  
I was quiet a moment, thinking. Were we really that short on time? Couldn't I get another day, at least? Deep down, though, I knew we had no time. Waiting until tomorrow was already a huge risk. Besides, putting it off wouldn't make it any better.  
"I'll be ready tomorrow." I said softly.  
Daltus nodded. "Then tomorrow we face Gannondorf."  
Something about the way he said that made me do a double take. "What do you mean by 'we'?"  
"I'm going with you." he said, "Without the Triforce of Wisdom there, there's no hope. Besides, if you fail then I'm dead no matter where I am. I'd rather meet death head-on than in hiding."  
I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell him that there was still hope even if I died and that if that happened he needed to find another hero. I wanted him to be safe. Most of all, I didn't want him to see me die. But I didn't argue. I just nodded.  
"Then tomorrow we win or die." the prince said quietly before leaving.  
I continued to stand there for a long while, staring off into the distance, before heading down to begin preparations for tomorrow's battle.

* * *

Yeah, it's kind of a short chapter. Don't worry, the next one will make up for it. Length-wise, anyways.


	11. The Final Battle

I didn't sleep well that night. Half the night I spent worrying and the other half I had nightmares. Long before I needed to I got up and went to the surface. It was quiet and still as I started out towards Hyrule Field. The sky was beginning to get light when Daltus came up and stood by me.  
"You're up early." he said softly.  
"So are you." I replied.  
We stood there in silence as the sun slowly came up behind us, bathing the lands beyond in a golden glow. A loud caw alerted us to Aren's arrival. The crow landed on my arm and stuck out his leg. Daltus untied the message and read it before starting to write a reply.  
"Any last words to your parents?" he said with a humor that sounded forced.  
"Tell them I love them." I said.  
When the message had been securely tied to Aren's leg I gave him an extra piece of fish and stroked his head.  
"Well, Aren, this might be the last time we ever see each other. Have a good life." I said before flinging my arm up and sending him on his way.  
"As soon as they get the message in Kakariko they'll start a revolt." the prince said, "That will draw most of the guards away. The Zora will deal with whatever's left and go to help Kakariko, and we'll be able to get to Castle Town without too much trouble."  
I nodded, and we stood there in silence until a messenger came and said it was time. After he had left Daltus turned to me.  
"Well, this is it."  
Without any warning he hugged me. After a second of surprise I hugged him back. We stood like that for a moment before drawing apart and going down to the entrance. A large group of Zoras were there. Most of them leaped into the waterfall when we came up, spears in hand. After a minute the prince played the song and opened the waterfall. We jumped onto the bridge and started heading down the river, occasionally coming across a dead guard with a spear in his back or chest.  
When we got to Hyrule Field we found it completely empty, which meant we made good time getting to Castle Town. By then the sky had clouded over, giving everything an ominous feeling. As we reached the square I thought for a moment about how much it would suck if I got killed by a ReDead before facing Gannondorf. Putting that thought aside, I drew the Master Sword, snuck behind the nearest ReDead, and ran it through. It moaned and toppled over. I grabbed the prince's arm and ran through the square, dodging the ReDeads that were shuffling towards their fallen comrade. When we reached the other side we stopped. Daltus looked back at the ReDeads.  
"Are they..."  
"I don't know and I don't want to."  
We walked along the path that used to lead to Hyrule Castle, now Gannondorf's tower. It was gray and dead-looking, and we went along like small ghosts in a haunted wasteland. After a few minutes we came around a bend and were met with the sight of Gannondorf's tower, looming darkly from the other side of a deep chasm. In front of the chasm stood a tall, dark figure with a sword that looked as tall as I was.  
"This is it." Daltus murmured, "Either we win or we die."  
I nodded, and we walked forward. The figure, Gannondorf, smirked when he saw us.  
"So this is what the Goddesses send to defy me," he said in a voice that was both ominous and full of power, "a princeling and a little girl. How pathetic. Run away, children. Run away while you still can."  
Daltus gave my arm a little squeeze. I looked at him and gave him a tiny smile before gripping the Master Sword and stepping up to face the Gerudo King. He chuckled and swung his sword a few times. I gulped, but held my ground. I was here, and there was no way I'd back out of it now.  
"You wish to fight me, little girl? So be it. You'll be begging for your pathetic life before I'm done."  
He swung his sword. The sheer force nearly knocked the Master Sword from my hands. How was I even going to get a hit on him, much less defeat him? After blocking a couple of blows I lunged, trying for a thrust. He stepped aside, his sword cutting a deep gash on my back as I stumbled past. Trying not to cry out in pain, I turned to face him. Gannondorf still wore his smirk, my blood dripping from his sword as he casually adjusted his grip. I knew I couldn't do something like that again. I'd get cut to ribbons, if not worse.  
We began circling. After trying to stare each other down he started closing in. I feinted to the right, then went to the left. His booted foot made solid contact with my ribs, knocking me back. I hissed in pain as I got back up. I probably had a few broken ribs from that. Gannondorf once again closed in, this time going on the offensive. There was no way I could block all his blows. His blade sliced across my arm, my shin, my shoulder, my face. By the time he backed off I could barely lift the Master Sword.  
"This is your last chance, little girl. Run away and live out your pathetic life, or stay here and die."  
I wanted to run. There was no way on earth that I could win this. I was going to die if I continued fighting, and I didn't want to die. But...if I did run away, that would be the end. Kakariko would probably be leveled and everyone would be killed for rebelling. The Zoras would be hunted out and exterminated. And Daltus...he would die, too. The first person to really, truly believe that I was capable of being a hero. The first guy I could actually have a good conversation with. The one who trusted me with his life and the life of everyone else. I couldn't walk away and let him down.  
"No." I said, "I am going to stay and fight, and I will not give up until I am dead."  
The world seemed to go white, and I heard a calm, gentle voice.  
"You have proven yourself." it said, "Take my power, chosen one."  
A warmth flowed through me. As the world returned to normal the back of my hand began tingling. I looked and saw a Triforce mark. The Triforce of Courage. I guess I was meant to do this after all.  
"So you do wield the Triforce of Courage." Gannondorf sneered, "Very well, then. All the more reason to kill you."  
A ring of fire sprung up, preventing both me from fleeing and Daltus from helping. With a yell Gannondorf charged at me, and we began going at each other hammer and tongs. The Triforce of Courage gave me enough strength to keep fighting, and I even managed to score a few minor hits. Gannondorf was still both stronger and a better fighter, though. For every hit I made he got at least three. Then I let my guard down for a split second, and he lunged. The blade went right through me, hitting what felt like every internal organ. I was paralyzed by the pain. I couldn't breathe; my only thought was 'why am I not dead?' With a sneer he put his foot against my stomach and pulled his sword out of me. I fell on my back, staring at the cloudy sky.  
"Dear Farore," I prayed silently, "I know I'm not your first choice of hero. I don't even know why you chose me. But please, just give me enough strength to finish this."  
My lungs, or what was left of them, started working again. With more effort than I had ever used in the rest of my life combined, I struggled first to my knees, then to my feet. I took a step, but was stopped by a violent coughing fit. When it passed I looked at my sleeve and grimaced at the flecks of blood spotting the off-white fabric. This was going to be rough.  
"So you have some strength after all." Gannondorf said. He still had his sneer, but it was beginning to waiver. "No matter. I will kill you and the princeling, and then I will be free from all opposition."  
I suddenly swung the Master Sword. He blocked it, and for a moment we stood there, our blades locked between us.  
"You're wrong." I whispered hoarsely, "As long as you continue to spread evil, there will always be someone to oppose you, no matter how many you kill."  
He shoved my sword away. I stumbled back and was once again besieged by a coughing fit. With the metallic tang of blood in my mouth I started towards Gannondorf again. After exchanging a few blows he lashed out with his foot, knocking me onto my back. Somehow I managed to stagger to my feet, suffering through another coughing fit as I did so. We went at it again. Once again he knocked me down, and once again I got back up.  
"Just die already!" he hissed, his sneer replaced by a mixture of uncertainty and hate.  
"Not until you do."  
With a hiss of rage Gannondorf swung his sword. I tucked under it and plunged the Master Sword under his armor and up into his stomach. The wall of fire around us flickered and died as he howled in pain. I pulled the Master Sword free and stumbled back. I though I heard Daltus yell, "Now, Sages! Now!" There was a bright flash, and then the world faded to black.

* * *

Just the last chapter, and this story's done. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with this story.


	12. Return to Kakariko

Here it is: the final chapter.

* * *

I was laying on something hard and cool and smooth, like stone. It was quiet except for the sound of water somewhere near me. Where was I? Was I...dead? I opened my eyes. Above me was a ceiling made of white rock. With a little trepidation I sat up. The walls and floor were also white rock. I just barely got a glimpse of a pool to my right and someone on the other side of the room before someone caught me in a tight embrace.  
"I'm so glad you're alive." Daltus whispered.  
"Me too." I whispered back, allowing my head to lean against his chest.  
"Heavens Daltus, don't suffocate her." a feminine voice said.  
Daltus reluctantly released me, allowing me to see a woman who looked very much like Daltus as she walked over.  
"Kari, this is my sister, Zelda." Daltus said.  
"Your sister?" I asked. Wasn't she supposed to be dead?  
"It's a little complicated." Zelda said, "When Link and I failed, we were...injured, you could say, by Gannondorf's dark magic. We were transported to the Temple of Light in the Sacred Realm before he could kill us, but we couldn't return until the source of the magic was banished. When that happened, we were able to come back."  
"After you stabbed Gannondorf the Sages and I were able to seal him in the Sacred Realm, which allowed my sister and Link to come back." Daltus explained, "By then you had already passed out. Link took one look at you, picked you up, and ran to the nearest Great Fairy Fountain. It took three of the Great Fairies to put you back together."  
"Where is Link?" I asked, looking around.  
"He had to return to the time he belonged to." Zelda said sadly, "Though he wasn't very happy about leaving before you woke up."  
"I'm grateful for him all the same." I said.  
"If you can walk then we should leave, though I don't know where we should go." Daltus said.  
"I'm sure we'd be welcomed in Kakariko. Or you two will be, at least." I replied.  
"I'm sure you'll be more than welcomed, once they hear what you did."  
I shrugged as I stood up. I'd never gotten much attention before for doing something, no matter what that thing was, so I saw little reason for that to change. We walked out of the Great Fairy Fountain and onto the path that led to Gannondorf's tower. However, I could no longer see the dark structure. It must have collapsed when Gannondorf had been banished. I wasn't complaining. The ReDeads were gone from the square as well. Even better. As we began getting close to Kakariko, though, I started getting worried. What if the soldiers had won? What if my parents had been killed? What if there was no Kakariko to come back to?  
I should have known better than to worry. Kakariko was still standing, looking about the same as when I had left. The only exception was that there were no guards standing around making life miserable. Instead, people were in the streets, walking around and talking. I smiled in relief. I still had a village to come back to.  
"Kari!"  
For the second time that day I found myself in a strong embrace. My mom was hugging me and crying.  
"Hi mom." I grunted as I endured her sobbing and saying how worried she had been. When she finally let go of me I found myself surrounded by most of the town. Everyone was talking all at once. From the little bits I was gathering everyone had already heard about me being some kind of hero and killing Gannondorf (as well as a bunch of other things I most definitely did not do). I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed, so I did what came naturally. I directed the attention at someone else.  
"By the way, this is Prince Daltus and his sister, Princess Zelda." I said, gesturing to the two who were standing outside the crowd. "They were wondering if they could stay here until something else got worked out."  
The crowd immediately turned to the royal siblings, leaving me free to slip away to the edge. I had to smile as they began shouting questions, mostly at Zelda. Royalty, I figured, was much better trained to handle people's attention than a nobody-recently-turned-hero. Someone touched my arm. I turned to see Daltus standing beside me.  
"You aren't the only one who's good at slipping away." he murmured.  
I grinned. He grinned back as his hand found mine. I inwardly beamed as I edged a little closer to him. Life was wonderful.

* * *

And there you have it. Thanks for reading!


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